Derrick Russell

REBUILDING AFTER A NATURAL DISASTER

by Derrick Russell,posted May 24 2013 11:35AM

After the destruction that has occurred in Oklahoma recently I think it is important to point out that no matter what disaster occurs; we rebuild. There is no greater example of this than what happened today. 7 months after being completely devastated by Hurricane Sandy, The Jersey Shore reopened. Just in time for Memorial Day weekend. I lived in New Jersey for several years and was still living on the East Coast when Sandy hit. At the time it seemed like a monumental undertaking to be able to fix everything that was broken. The nightly news was all about which towns had power and which ones didn't. Where the National Guard would be the next day distributing water and supplies. The underground tunnels that connected New Jersey and New York were flooded for months.

Everybody agreed that it would never be the same after a such a monumental storm. But bit by bit and little by little things got better. Rubble turned into clearings, clearings turned back into houses. Lone posts jutting out of the ocean turned back into bustling piers. And today a five mile long ribbon stretched along the beach to mark the reopening of one of the largest tourist attractions in America.

It takes a lot of time, labor, heartbreak and tears but we always rebuild.

If you want to check out more info on the reopening of the Jersey Shore check out the Today Show's coverage here